The Undone and The Divine
by LashesAndAshes
Summary: When I met him, he was covered in blood and smoking a cigarette and when his eyes met mine, it felt as if he had just drove an arrow through my heart. Daryl/OC


_**The Undone And The Devine**_

_Summary:_ _When I met him, he was covered in blood and smoking a cigarette and when his eyes met mine, it felt as if he had just drove an arrow through my heart._

_AN- This is not my first fanfiction, but is my first in the Walking Dead genre. If I seem to write Daryl as OOC, please tell me how I can make him better. This story will not have the other group and will be Daryl alone mostly unless it's flashbacks. There are warnings of adult situations, adult violence, adult sex and just overall adult themes. If you are not old enough to be viewing this material, please click back on your browser :D Otherwise, please enjoy!_

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_This is as good a place to fall as any_

_We'll build our alter here_

_Make me your Maria_

_I'm already on my knees_

The forest floor was covered in a thick, white fog with the light from the sunrise peeking through in dusty beams. The grass was wet with dew and glittered in the light. Even the rotting branches on the forest floor sparkled like diamonds. It would have been a beautiful sight, one that could have been the default picture on countless computer backgrounds all over the world.

And it was beautiful, from the birds singing happily in the treetops to the red and gold leaves on the ground, had it not been for the dead man shuffling through the dew. I could just make out his outline, but there was no mistaking that familiar shuffle of weakened bones and rotting flesh.

I sighed and leaned my head against the tree I was currently perched high in. Most of the dead walking around took no notice of me. I had picked my hiding spot well, taking over a forgotten tree house that still had a moldy pillow and moth ridden blanket in the corner. When I had first moved in, there had been multiple drawings hung up on the walls.

Dogs, horses, and stick figure families with 'mommy' or 'daddy' written above in scribbled crayon; it had all been too painful to look at. I had burned them along with the pillow and blanket. Now, my backpack inhabited the corner, filled with fragments of my former life. My toothbrush, comb, and detangling spray were the only non-weapons I ever carried anymore. Even my small, iron skillet had to be used as a blunt weapon a time or two.

I curled my knees up to my chin and watched the man in his molding, dirty suit shuffle around the roots of the tree. He only tripped twice and moaned in…pain? Hunger? I knew he could smell me. They all smelled me. Most got bored after circling the tree seven or eight times and moved on to pursue other non-dead people.

If there were anymore.

The man below came back around, stumbled on some moss and turned back the way he had come, ambling through the fog until I couldn't see him anymore. I sighed and curled my fingers around an imaginary cup of coffee, pretending I was sitting in a cabin in the woods, on vacation. I pretended that I was worried about work deadlines, and that I had someone with me, cooking breakfast back inside. I closed my eyes and inhaled, wishing the smell of dead leaves and flesh were eggs being scrambled over a fire.

My fingers almost burned from the coffee in my ceramic mug. I rubbed my thumb over the pads of my fingers and stared down at the foggy forest floor below. The thought of scrambled eggs fresh on my mind made my stomach growl in protest. I nodded and stood on my stiff legs, rubbing them to get my circulation going once again.

I turned and ducked back into my tree house, my visions of a summer cabin fading fast. There would be no vacations anymore, no more deadlines, no more coffee…This was the apocalypse. And if I wanted eggs, I would have to take a trip to the chickens. I left my non-weapons behind and shoved my handy butcher knife into the small holster I had made out of a pot holder.

I didn't have any guns, but so far I had managed to avoid any large herds of the dead and could run fast if I needed to. I never stayed out past dusk and always thought ahead.

Making sure my backpack was secured tightly with a belt around my waist, I tossed the knotted rope down to the forest below and began my decent. Once my feet were safely on the ground and I made sure I hadn't been heard, seen, or smelled, I began my walk through the fog.

It was usually one of my rules, to not go out in anything but sunny, clear weather but, I was restless. I had been cooped up in that tree house for the past two months alone, fending for no one but myself and no amount of pretending could help anymore.

I was alone.

Worse than that, I was lonely.

I had grown up a loner, always the girl to have friends, but never best friends. It had never bothered me then, I liked my peace and solitude. I never cared when I wouldn't be called to hang out on the weekends. But, this…this was different. At least then, I had the options to latch onto a person if I needed companionship. Who was I going to be friends with now? The dead?

I sighed and crept around a large, fallen tree. It had been struck by lightning before I had found my tree house and was rotting badly. Still, it made a good stopping point on my way to the chickens. I could easily fit beneath the trunk that lay on the ground and the rest of it propped up by the stump left behind. I peered out into the fog and sat as still as I could, listening for the shuffling feet through the leaves.

I had set a few sound traps, sticks that could break easily, a few squeak toys I had found at a pet store months back that would alert me to anyone –or thing- shuffling about. I turned my ear toward the forest and held my breath. All was quiet and still. I climbed out from beneath the dead tree and dusted my hands off on my jeans. With the coast clear, I strolled along. In my head, I was just taking a walk while a very handsome man was brewing coffee and reading the paper back in the cabin.

White and gray plumes of smoke would be climbing out of the chimney as our two dogs played happily in front of the hearth. It was almost perfect. Until a gnarled hand swiped out from behind a tree and snatched the front of my shirt.

My scream was out before I could stop it and I stumbled back into the dirt. The dead man from earlier in the suit stumbled over the roots and opened his mouth wide as he lunged downward. His hands dug at me, trying to snatch my kicking legs as I flailed. I had never been caught off guard before. I had always been so very careful.

Was this how I died? All I could think about was my toothbrush sitting in the corner of my tree house. Was it going to be a relic for the next person to come along? Would they burn it like I had the drawings?

I climbed backwards on my hands and kicked out, the heel of my boot crushing the man's jaw. It hung lopsided off his face, the graying skin hanging down like tattered fabric. I managed to roll onto my front and shoved off the ground to run. My scream had attracted more of the dead and they came ambling faster than I thought they could out of the fog. Four approached me from the front while the man in the suit was joined by another behind me.

I scrambled backwards, my heels snagging on a root and sending me sprawling against the tree. My heart was pounding so fast in my chest that my head swam and all I could do was stare as six dead people descended on me, mouths open and ready to eat my flesh.

Something whipped through the air and blood splattered my face as one of the dead men fell to the ground, tripping another. I blinked and swiped at my eyes as another one crumpled at my feet. Someone had shot an arrow in the back of its skull and it protruded out of its eye socket. I backed further into the tree, the bark scraping my shoulder blades and I could tell my shirt was ripped. A black blur brought two more dead down and a blade glittered in the sun before sinking into their skulls.

My jeans were splattered with mud and blood as the last one, the one in the suit, came crashing down on my knees and a knife sank into his face twice. I stared, wide eyed and completely shocked. Every muscle in my body was trembling uncontrollably and my lungs ached for breath. Sucking in gulps of oxygen, I followed the hand that held the knife up to stare into the face of a man. His face was splattered with various bodily fluids, blood mostly with bits of greying flesh slipping down his the stubble of his jaw. A half smoked cigarette hung from his lips and he took a deep drag, pinching the filter between his first two fingers.

"You alright?" He asked in a southern drawl, his eyes roving my body for bite marks. I blushed briefly when he flashed over my chest and moved quickly to my legs before he stood, reaching down with an open palm. I glanced down at his hands before giving his appearance a quick look. His jeans were tattered and loose enough to hang slightly low on his hips. The white shirt underneath his dirty, leather jacket was fraying and filthy.

I felt my arm moving upward, sliding into his palm and he lifted me slowly off the roots of the tree. He raised an eyebrow as I realized I was still staring at him. "Are you hurt?" He asked slowly, releasing my hand and whatever hold he had on me. I blinked and cleared my throat, nodding a bit too enthusiastically as I smoothed my tank top down my stomach. It was drenched in sweat and blood and I tried not to think too much about it. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Are you out here all alone?" He glanced around the trees and took a few steps back on his biker boots. I nodded as he raised his eyebrow again. "You're alone?"

"I said yes."

He looked at me as if he was unable to understand what I was saying. Was it so hard to believe a woman could survive in the apocalypse alone? "Are you alone?" I asked, lifting my chin defiantly.

He sniffed and relaxed his bow, bringing it to his hip but keeping his finger tightly secured on the trigger before nodding. "I am now."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"They're not dead. I just left."

Nodding, I tried to keep my trembling fingers still by pushing them into my pockets, but it didn't work. My heartbeat had just begun to slow and the adrenaline rush I had experienced and shock of seeing another live person had took its toll on me. I was still incredibly shaken up and I must have looked it. The man stepped forward and ducked his head to meet my eyes. I looked up but the world tipped and I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. I could see his lips moving but the ringing in my ears grew louder until black swept over me.

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AN- I apologize for any spelling/grammar errors. I've read over it several times but there are always those mistakes that slip through. Thank you for reading! I hope you leave a review and tell me what you think.


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